Page 18 - Demo

Unlike our doubting real-estate agent, John and I could see what the house had originally been, as well as what it could still become. At its core, it was solid and well-built. Another positive feature was that it was situated in the country, not far from town. Best of all, its price fit our budget. As soon as we moved in our belongings, we began cleaning, demolishing, and rebuilding%u2014me full-time, John in the evenings and on weekends.John%u2019s new job involved working for a small outfit that did remodeling. It was an excellent way to learn the construction trade, and he was able to come home and work confidently and with skill on our own house. It%u2019s no exaggeration to say he was amazing. He built replacement windows, cabinetry, new walls, bathrooms, a new kitchen, and installed new ductwork, plumbing, air conditioning, electrical wiring, and on, and on, and on. He even dug a new septic system%u2014completely by hand by himself. I was able to do everything from demolition and clean-up; to finishing and painting drywall; to sanding, staining, and finishing cabinetry. I also mowed and took care of the property%u2014even planting, watering, and tending 200 tiny, white-pine seedlings around 2 sides of our land. We bought them from Indiana%u2019s Department of Natural Resources, where they were offered at an extremely low price%u2014if you used them for such things as windbreaks, wildlife food, or habitat enhancement. At the time, we put all our extra cash into our house remodeling project. When we had a major purchase to make, we had to slow down on our work in order to build our bank account back up. We always paid cash on the barrel, and never borrowed, or overloaded our credit card. During those periodic breaks, I had fun making fine-lined, detailed drawings using a crow-quill pen and India ink on Mylar drafting sheets. Using Mylar was John%u2019s idea, because it took ink well and could be easily erased, and I liked working on it. We figured that, someday, they could be reproduced in limited editions%u2014and two eventually were. This was what I considered my first series of drawings, and they featured unconventional elders whose unselfconscious behaviors were a just a bit outside the norm. Having lived for many years, and seeing the folly of society%u2019s arbitrary rules, their age had freed them to just be themselves. Painstakingly drawn, these drawings were the opposite of the rapid, free-flowing charcoal life drawings of nudes I%u2019d done in college. But, that approach wouldn%u2019t have captured the essence of these physically older, slower, wrinkled men and women. I also taught myself to crochet using an afghan kit, then progressed to a hooded jacket and several other items. I enjoyed working with textiles, and made a patchwork queen-size quilt for our bed. I also learned embroidery, and created throw pillows. One huge project was sewing full-length, lined draperies, of my own design, for our living room.Working together, it took John and I six years to completely redo the house. We were reasonably faithful in restoring the outside, and gave the inside the feel of an old house by using a Federal-style color palette of painted brown trim with cream walls%u2014but with modern utilities and amenities. For our hard work, we won a restoration award from the county historical society, were featured in Mates. Oil on canvas board. 1975